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[Happy girl]

I spoke to another doctor at my gp practice . This is the 3rd telephone consultation during lockdown and each time have spoken to a different doctor . First doctor started me on Ovestin after I said  I felt I had cystitis , so without being examined decided it was probably urethral atrophy . Initially I felt an improvement with a couple of near normal weeks but symptoms just started to get worse .  I have awful discomfort after I pee ( not during ) which can last for hours . Spoke to 2nd doctor after being on Ovestin for 3 months and he suggested trying vagifem . Now I have finished my 2nd week of loading and no great improvement, somedays not too bad but some awful days . I phoned again on Monday and spoke to a female doctor who I had hoped would invite me in for an examination .. not the case. She seemed rather dismissive of my symptoms and concern that it could be something else causing symptoms .  Her only suggestion was I start Hrt  patches or be referred to urology . Now I’m sitting with my patches but after reading the leaflet I am scared to take . Has anyone else been in the same boat with taking Ovestin / Vagifem without much success and ended up on full HRT . Sorry for long story but feel at a loss as what to do . I have been in nearly constant daily discomfort for around  5 months and today is awful which I think may be due to having sex for the first time in 3 weeks with my husband . Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[CherrySG]

Hi Happygirl!

Yes, I started on Ovestin, was OK on it for a bit. Then VA got much worse after a dreadful couple of infections where I had, in total, 5 rounds of AB's. Was given Vagifem, which improved matters a bit, in fact, if I could have had it every night after the loading period, I thought I could have managed. They'd only let me have Vagifem twice a week.

So I bought lots of different moisturisers (you name it, I tried it). and attempted to cure the constant urge to pee with that. Not happening! So I went to the doctor again as I thought I still had an infection. She offered me full HRT, and after a few months I'm back to 'normal'. In fact I just occasionally use Vagifem for a flare up.

They were initially reluctant to provide systemic HRT and Vagifem as it was 'too much oestrogen', but now I have both on repeat after an email I sent explaining that Vagifem is only 10 micrograms and a patch is 50 mgs or more, hence it it a negligible overall dose but makes a difference in the right place. Thanks to the info on here, I might add.

Hope this isn't too long an answer. VA is so horrible, it made my life a misery for months (me and many others).

I started on the gel but found the Evorel patches are the absolute business for getting rid of VA symptoms. Have you been tested for infection first though? They need to rule that out. If you do have a UTI you'll want AB's, and then, if you're clear and it still hurts, it's worth considering the patches.

Good luck with it all. It's hard work negotiating the medical system these days.